Transistors having asymetric strained source/drain portions

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor structure. The structure includes (a) a fin region having (i) a first source/drain portion having a first surface and a third surface, wherein the first and third surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, (ii) a second source/drain portion having a second surface and a fourth surface, wherein the second and fourth surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, and (iii) a channel region; (b) a gate dielectric layer; (c) a gate electrode region, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between, and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) first second strain creating regions on the third and fourth surfaces, respectively, wherein the first and second strain creating regions comprise a strain creating material.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to transistors, having asymmetrically strained source/drain portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a conventional transistor, source/drain regions are usually etched, and then SiGe (silicon-germanium) or SiC (silicon-carbon) is epitaxially grown on source/drain portions of the fin region to provide strain into a channel region of the FET. However, the resulting structure usually does not have the optimum strain in the channel region. Therefore, there is a need for a transistor structure that provides strain in the channel region higher than that of prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a semiconductor structure, comprising (a) a fin region, wherein the fin region includes (i) a first source/drain portion having a first surface and a third surface, wherein the first and third surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, (ii) a second source/drain portion having a second surface and a fourth surface, wherein the second and fourth surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, and (iii) a channel region disposed between the first and second source/drain portions; (b) a gate dielectric layer in direct physical contact with the channel region; (c) a gate electrode region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between, and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) a first semiconductor strain creating region and a second semiconductor strain creating region on the third and fourth surfaces, respectively, wherein the first and second semiconductor strain creating regions comprise a semiconductor strain creating material, and wherein no portion of the first and second surfaces is in direct physical contact with the semiconductor strain creating material.

The present invention provides a transistor structure in which the channel region has higher strain than that of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1Eb (perspective and top-down views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a vertical transistor (FinFET) structure, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A-2Db (cross-section and top-down views) illustrate another fabrication process for forming another vertical transistor (FinFET) structure, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A-3E (cross-section views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a planar transistor structure, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A-4D (cross-section views) illustrate another fabrication process for forming another planar transistor structure, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A-1Eb (perspective views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a vertical transistor (FinFET) structure 100, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 1A, the fabrication of the vertical transistor structure 100 starts out with a structure including (i) a silicon (Si) substrate 110, (ii) a BOX (Buried Oxide) layer 120 on top of the Si substrate 110, (iii) a fin region 130 (comprising silicon in one embodiment) on top of the BOX layer 120, (iv) a hard mask 140 (comprising silicon nitride in one embodiment) on top of the fin region 130, (v) a gate electrode region 150 (comprising polysilicon in one embodiment) on top of the hard mask 140 and the BOX layer 120, (vi) a dielectric cap region 151 (comprising SiO2 in one embodiment) on top of the gate electrode region 150, and (vii) nitride spacers 160 a and 160 b (comprising silicon nitride in one embodiment) on side walls of the gate electrode region 150 and the dielectric cap region 151. The vertical transistor structure 100 of FIG. 1A is formed by using a conventional method.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1B, in one embodiment, a patterned dielectric (e.g., silicon nitride, etc.) covering layer 170 is formed on top of the structure 100 of FIG. 1A. More specifically, the patterned nitride covering layer 170 is formed by using conventional lithographic and etching processes.

Next, in one embodiment, the fin region 130 is etched with the patterned nitride covering layer 170, the hard mask 140, and the nitride spacers 160 a and 160 b serving as a blocking mask. The etching of the fin region 130 is performed essentially without affecting the BOX layer 120. As a result of the etching, the fin region 130 of FIG. 1B is reduced to a fin region 132 of FIG. 1C. In other words, exposed surfaces of the fin region 130 are moved in a direction 133. The etching of the fin region 130 can be isotropic.

Next, in one embodiment, SiGe (silicon-germanium) material can be epitaxially grown on exposed silicon surfaces of the structure 100 of FIG. 1C, resulting in SiGe regions 180 a and 180 b of FIG. 1D.

FIG. 1Ea shows a cross-section view of the vertical transistor structure 100 of FIG. 1D along a plane defined by a line 1Ea, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1Ea, the vertical transistor structure 100 comprises gate dielectric layers 132 a and 132 b between the gate electrode region 150 and the fin region 132, extension regions 192 a and 192 b implanted in the fin region 132, halo regions 194 a and 194 b implanted in the fin region 132, and a channel region 196 between the two extension regions 192 a and 192 b. It should be noted that the gate dielectric layers 132 a and 132 b, the extension regions 192 a and 192 b, the halo regions 194 a and 194 b, and the channel region 196 are already present in the structure 100 of FIGS. 1A-1D but these layer and regions were not shown or mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 1A-1D for simplicity. In FIG. 1Ea, in one embodiment, the SiGe regions 180 a and 180 b are on the same side of the fin region 132. In the embodiments described above, the extension regions 192 a and 192 b and the halo regions 194 a and 194 b are formed early and are present even in FIG. 1A (though not shown in FIG. 1A for simplicity). Alternatively, the extension regions 192 a and 192 b and the halo regions 194 a and 194 b can be formed after the formation of the SiGe regions 180 a and 180 b (FIG. 1D).

The SiGe regions 180 a and 180 b will be parts of source/drain regions, which comprise source/drain portions 134 a and 134 b, respectively, of the fin region 132 of the vertical transistor structure 100. The presence of the SiGe regions 180 a and 180 b (also called strain creating regions 180 a and 180 b) in the vertical transistor structure 100 creates strain in the channel region 196 of the vertical transistor structure 100. As a result, the strain in the channel region of the vertical transistor structure 100 is improved. It should be noted that this strain in the channel region 196 is created because the crystal lattice of the material of the strain creating regions 180 a and 180 b (i.e., SiGe) does not match the crystal lattice of the material of the channel region 196 (i.e., Si). In an alternative embodiment, the strain creating regions 180 a and 180 b can comprise SiC (mixture of silicon and carbon) for an NFET transistor.

FIG. 1Eb shows a cross-section view of a vertical transistor structure 100′, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The vertical transistor structure 100′ is similar to the vertical transistor structure 100 in FIG. 1Ea, except that SiGe regions 180 a′ and 180 b′ are on opposite sides of the fin region 132. In order to form the SiGe regions 180 a′ and 180 b′ on opposite sides of the fin region 132, the patterned nitride covering layer 170 (similar to the patterned nitride covering layer 170 in FIG. 1C) is formed in two opposite sides, and the step of etching the fin region 130 (similar to the etching step to form the structure of FIG. 1C) is performed such that exposed surfaces of the fin region 130 are moved in two opposite directions. It should be noted that a gate dielectric layer, extension regions, halo regions, and a channel region of the vertical transistor structure 100′ are omitted in FIG. 1Eb for simplicity. The presence of the SiGe regions 180 a′ and 180 b′ in the vertical transistor structure 100′ improves the strain in the channel region of the vertical transistor structure 100′ and thereby improves the operation of the vertical transistor structure 100′.

FIGS. 2A-2Db (cross-section views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a vertical transistor (FinFET) structure 200, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, the fabrication process starts out with a structure which is similar to the structure 100 of FIG. 1C. FIG. 2A shows a cross-section view of the vertical transistor structure 100 of FIG. 1C along a plane defined by a line 2A. It should be noted that similar regions of the structure 200 of FIG. 2A and the structure 100 of FIG. 1C have the same reference numerals, except for the first digit, which is used to indicate the figure number. For instance, a patterned dielectric (e.g., silicon nitride) covering layer 270 (FIG. 2A) and the patterned nitride covering layer 170 (FIG. 1C) are similar.

Next, in one embodiment, the patterned nitride covering layer 270 is removed by an etching step which is essentially selective to a hard mask 240, a fin region 232, and a BOX layer 220, resulting in the structure 200 of FIG. 2B. In one embodiment, the removal of the patterned nitride covering layer 270 can be achieved by an isotropic etch such as a wet etch or a plasma etch.

Next, in one embodiment, SiGe material can be epitaxially grown on exposed silicon surfaces of the structure 200 of FIG. 2B, resulting in SiGe regions 280 c and 280 d of FIG. 2C.

FIG. 2Da shows a top-down view of structure 200 of FIG. 2C, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. For illustration and simplicity, only the SiGe regions 280 c, 280 d, 280 c′, and 280 d′, the fin region 232, the BOX layer 220 are shown in FIG. 2Da. The formations of SiGe regions 280 c′ and 280 d′ are similar to the formations of the SiGe regions 280 c and 280 d. As can be seen FIG. 2Da, in one embodiment, the fin region 232 was recessed at two places on one side (left side) of the fin region 232.

The SiGe regions 280 c, 280 d, 280 c′, and 280 d′ will be parts of source/drain regions of the vertical transistor structure 200. The presence of the SiGe regions 280 c and 280 c′ in the vertical transistor structure 200 creates strain in the channel region of the vertical transistor structure 200. As a result, the strain in the channel region of the vertical transistor structure 200 is improved thereby improving the operation of the vertical transistor structure 200.

FIG. 2Db shows a top-down view of a vertical transistor structure 200′, in accordance with alternative embodiments of the present invention. The vertical transistor structure 200′ is similar to the vertical transistor structure 200 of FIG. 2Da, except that the fin region 232 was recessed at two places on opposite sides of the fin region 232.

The SiGe regions 280 c, 280 c′, 280 d, and 280 d′ (also called expansion regions 280 c, 280 c′, 280 d, and 280 d′) will be parts of source/drain regions of the vertical transistor structure 200′. The source/drain regions of the vertical transistor structure 200′ comprise source/drain portions 234 a and 234 b of the fin region 232 of the vertical transistor structure 200′. The source/drain portion 234 a has surfaces 281 and 282 on which the SiGe regions 280 c and 280 d reside, respectively. The source/drain portion 234 b has surfaces 281′ and 282′ on which the SiGe regions 280 c′ and 280 d′ reside, respectively. The surface 281 is not coplanar with surface 282′. Similarly, the surface 282 is not coplanar with either the surface 281′ or the surface 282′. The presence of the SiGe regions 280 c and 280 c′ in the vertical transistor structure 200′ creates strain in the channel region of the vertical transistor structure 200′.

FIGS. 3A-3E (cross-section views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a planar transistor structure 300, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 3A, the fabrication of the planar transistor structure 300 starts out with a structure including (i) a silicon substrate 310, (ii) a gate dielectric layer 320 (comprising silicon dioxide in one embodiment) on top of the Si substrate 310, (iii) a gate electrode region 330 (comprising polysilicon in one embodiment) on top of the gate dielectric layer 320, (iv) a dielectric cap region 331 (comprising SiO2 in one embodiment) on top of the gate electrode region 330, (v) nitride spacers 340 a and 340 b (comprising silicon nitride in one embodiment) on side walls of the gate electrode region 330 and the dielectric cap region 331, and (vi) a dielectric covering layer 332 (comprising SiO2 in one embodiment) on top of all. The planar transistor structure 300 of FIG. 3A is formed by using a conventional method.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3B, in one embodiment, a patterned photo-resist layer 311 is formed on top of the Si substrate 310. In one embodiment, the patterned photo-resist layer 311 is formed by using a conventional lithographic process.

Next, in one embodiment, portions of the dielectric covering layer 332 not covered by the patterned photo-resist layer 311 are removed by a wet etching process. Then, the Si substrate 310 is etched with the patterned photo-resist layer 311, the dielectric cap region 331, and the nitride spacers 340 a and 340 b serving as a blocking mask, resulting in a trench 312 in the Si substrate 310. The etching of the Si substrate 310 can be dry etching. The trench 312 is formed aligned with the nitride spacer 340 a. It should be noted that during the etching of the Si substrate 310, the gate electrode region 330 is not etched because the gate electrode region 330 is protected by the dielectric cap region 331. After that, the patterned photo-resist layer 311 can be removed using a wet etching process.

Next, in one embodiment, SiGe material can be epitaxially grown on exposed silicon surface of the trench 312 of FIG. 3B, resulting in a SiGe region 350 a of FIG. 3C. It should be noted that SiGe material does not grow on the right side of the gate electrode region 330 because the Si substrate 310 on this right side is still covered/protected by the dielectric covering layer 332.

Next, in one embodiment where the depths and thicknesses of the grown SiGe on both sides are asymmetric, FIG. 3C is modified to form FIG. 3D. More specifically, with reference to FIG. 3D, a patterned photo-resist layer 313 is formed on top of the SiGe region 350 a. In one embodiment, the patterned photo-resist layer 313 is formed by using a conventional lithographic process.

Next, in one embodiment, the remaining portions of the dielectric covering layer 332 (FIG. 3C) are removed. Then, the Si substrate 310 is etched with the patterned photo-resist layer 313, the dielectric cap region 331, and the nitride spacers 340 a and 340 b serving as a blocking mask, resulting in a trench 314 in the Si substrate 310. The etching of the Si substrate 310 can be dry etching. The trench 314 is formed aligned with the nitride spacer 340 b. It should be noted that during the etching of the Si substrate 310, the gate electrode region 330 is not etched because the gate electrode region 330 is protected by the dielectric cap region 331. After the trench 314 is formed, the patterned photo-resist layer 313 can be removed using a wet etching process.

Next, in one embodiment, SiGe material can be epitaxially grown on exposed silicon surface of the trench 314 of FIG. 3D, resulting in SiGe regions 350 a′ and 350 b of FIG. 3E. In one embodiment, a thickness 352 of the SiGe region 350 a+350 a′ is greater than a thickness 354 of the SiGe region 350 b. It should be noted that during the formation of SiGe region 350 b, SiGe material also grows on the SiGe region 350 a (on the left) resulting in the SiGe region 350 a′.

With reference to FIG. 3E, the planar transistor structure 300 comprises extension regions 312 a and 312 b implanted in the Si substrate 310, halo regions 314 a and 314 b implanted in the Si substrate 310, and a channel region 316 between the two extension regions 312 a and 312 b. It should be noted that the extension regions 312 a and 312 b, the halo regions 314 a and 314 b, and the channel region 316 may already be present in the structure 300 of FIGS. 3A-3D (in one embodiment) but these layer and regions are not shown or mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 3A-3D for simplicity. The SiGe regions 350 a+350 a′ and 350 b will be parts of source/drain regions of the planar transistor structure 300. The presence of the SiGe source/drain regions 350 a+350 a′ and 350 b in the planar transistor structure 300 creates strain in the channel region 316 of the planar transistor structure 300. As a result, the operation of the planar transistor structure 300 is improved.

In the embodiment described in FIGS. 3A-3E above, the source/drain regions 350 a+350 a′ and 350 b comprise SiGe. Alternatively, one of the source/drain regions 350 a+350 a′ and 350 b comprises Si, whereas the other of the source/drain regions 350 a+350 a′ and 350 b comprises SiGe.

FIGS. 4A-4D (cross-section views) illustrate a fabrication process for forming a planar transistor structure 400, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. More specifically, the fabrication process starts out with the structure 400 of FIG. 4A. In one embodiment, the structure 400 of FIG. 4A is similar to the structure 300 of FIG. 3A (without the dielectric covering layer 332). It should be noted that similar regions of the structure 400 of FIG. 4A and the structure 300 of FIG. 3A have the same reference numerals, except for the first digit, which is used to indicate the figure number. For instance, a gate dielectric layer 420 (FIG. 4A) and the gate dielectric layer 320 (FIG. 3A) are similar.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4B, in one embodiment, an extra nitride spacer 450 is formed on side wall of a nitride spacer 440 b. Illustratively, the extra nitride spacer 450 is formed by using a conventional process.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4C, in one embodiment, the Si substrate 410 is etched with the extra nitride spacer 450, the nitride spacers 440 a and 440 b, and the dielectric cap region 431 serving as a blocking mask resulting in trenches 412 and 414 in the Si substrate 410. The etching of the Si substrate 410 can be dry etching. The trenches 412 and 414 are formed aligned with the nitride spacer 440 a and the extra nitride spacer 450, respectively.

Next, in one embodiment, SiGe material can be epitaxially grown on exposed silicon surface of the trenches 412 and 414 of FIG. 4C, resulting in SiGe regions 460 a and 460 b, respectively, of FIG. 4D. It should be noted that thicknesses 462 and 464 of the SiGe regions 460 a and 460 b, respectively, are the same.

The SiGe regions 460 a and 460 b will be parts of source/drain regions of the planar transistor structure 400. The presence of the SiGe source/drain regions 460 a and 460 b in the planar transistor structure 400 creates strain in channel region 422 of the planar transistor structure 400. As a result, the operation of the planar transistor structure 400 is improved.

In the embodiment described in FIGS. 4A-4D above, the source/drain regions 460 a and 460 b comprise SiGe. Alternatively, one of the source/drain regions 460 a and 460 b comprises Si, whereas the other of the source/drain regions 460 a and 460 b comprises SiGe.

In the embodiments described above, SiGe material is used. Alternatively, compound semiconductors including silicon, carbon, germanium, etc are used.

It should be noted that in the embodiments described above, the SiGe regions will later be doped with dopants so that they can serve as parts of the source/drain regions of the transistors.

In the embodiments described above, SiGe is epitaxially grown resulting the regions 180 a and 180 b (FIG. 1D), regions 280 c and 280 d (FIG. 2C), region 350 a (FIG. 3C), regions 350 a′ and 350 b (FIG. 3E), and regions 460 a and 460 b (FIG. 4D). Alternatively, instead of SiGe, any other strain-creating material can be used provided that the resulting regions create strain in the corresponding channel regions. For example, SiC (a mixture of silicon and carbon) can be used instead of SiGe to create optimal strain if the structure is to be an NFET.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, many modifications and changes will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention. 

1. A semiconductor structure, comprising: (a) a fin region, wherein the fin region includes: (i) a first source/drain portion having a first surface and a third surface, wherein the first and third surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, (ii) a second source/drain portion having a second surface and a fourth surface, wherein the second and fourth surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, and (iii) a channel region disposed between the first and second source/drain portions; (b) a gate dielectric layer in direct physical contact with the channel region; (c) a gate electrode region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between, and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) a first semiconductor strain creating region and a second semiconductor strain creating region on the third and fourth surfaces, respectively, wherein the first and second semiconductor strain creating regions comprise a semiconductor strain creating material, and wherein no portion of the first and second surfaces is in direct physical contact with the semiconductor strain creating material.
 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein a direction from the first surface to the third surface defines a first direction, wherein a direction from the second surface to the fourth surface defines a second direction, and wherein the first and second directions point in a same direction.
 3. The structure of claim 1, wherein a direction from the first surface to the third surface defines a first direction, wherein a direction from the second surface to the fourth surface defines a second direction, and wherein the first and second directions are opposite directions.
 4. The structure of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor strain creating material comprises SiGe (silicon-germanium).
 5. A semiconductor structure, comprising: (a) a fin region, wherein the fin region includes: (i) a first source/drain portion having a first surface and a third surface, wherein the first and third surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, (ii) a second source/drain portion having a second surface and a fourth surface, wherein the second and fourth surfaces are (A) parallel to each other and (B) not coplanar, and (iii) a channel region disposed between the first and second source/drain portions; (b) a gate dielectric layer in direct physical contact with the channel region; (c) a gate electrode region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between, and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) a first expansion region, a second expansion region, a third expansion region, and a fourth expansion region on the first, and second, third, and fourth surfaces, respectively, wherein the first surface is not coplanar with the second and fourth surfaces.
 6. The structure of claim 5, wherein the third surface is not coplanar with the second and fourth surfaces.
 7. The structure of claim 5, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth expansion regions comprise SiGe (silicon-germanium).
 8. A semiconductor structure, comprising (a) a semiconductor substrate including: (i) a first source/drain region, wherein the first source/drain region comprises a semiconductor strain creating material, (ii) a second source/drain region, wherein the second source/drain region comprises Si, and (iii) a channel region disposed between the first and second source/drain regions; (b) a gate dielectric layer in direct physical contact with the channel region; (c) a gate electrode region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) a first dielectric spacer and the second dielectric spacer on side walls of the gate electrode region.
 9. The structure of claim 8, wherein the semiconductor strain creating material comprises SiGe (silicon-germanium).
 10. A semiconductor structure, comprising (a) a semiconductor substrate including: (i) a first source/drain region, (ii) a second source/drain region, and (iii) a channel region disposed between the first and second source/drain regions, wherein the first and second source/drain regions comprise a semiconductor strain creating material, and wherein the channel region comprises a semiconductor channel material different from the semiconductor strain creating material resulting in a strain in the channel region; (b) a gate dielectric layer in direct physical contact with the channel region, wherein a common interfacing surface of the channel region and the gate dielectric layer defines a reference direction perpendicular to the common interfacing surface, wherein the first source/drain region has a first thickness in the reference direction, wherein the second source/drain region has a second thickness in the reference direction, and wherein the first thickness is different than the second thickness; (c) a gate electrode region in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric layer, wherein the gate dielectric layer (i) is sandwiched between and (ii) electrically insulates the gate electrode region and the channel region; and (d) a first dielectric spacer and the second dielectric spacer on side walls of the gate electrode region.
 11. The structure of claim 10, wherein a distance from the first source/drain region to the center of the gate electrode region in a direction perpendicular to the reference direction defines a first distance, wherein a distance from the second source/drain region to the center of the gate electrode region in a direction perpendicular to the reference direction defines a second distance, and wherein the first distance is different from the second distance.
 12. The structure of claim 11, wherein a first width of the first dielectric spacer is smaller than a second width of the second dielectric spacer. 